Introduced in 1965, and no longer in production, the Martin D12-35 12-fret was the 12-string version of the classic Martin D35, visually notable for its three section Rosewood back. This Martin D12-35 example dates to 1975 and pairs a Sitka Spruce top with Indian Rosewood for the sides, three-piece back, bridge plate, and thin headstock veneer.
Twelve String
The Martin D12 20 was a slope shouldered, 12-fret 12 string guitar built from 1964 to 1991 with a Sitka Spruce top and Mahogany for the sides, back and neck. Here we’re looking at a Martin D12 20 dating to February of 1968 and built at the Martin plant in Nazareth, Pennsylvania. As a ’20’ model, it is very close to an ’18’ and the key differentiating component is the ‘zipper’ back strip. The top is Sitka Spruce – Adirondack Spruce had been overharvested during WW2 and it would still be decades for recovery. The sides, back, and slotted-headstock neck are Honduran Mahogany and, by the time this post-1967 guitar was built, Indian Rosewood was used for the head plate, bridge and unbound fingerboard.
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MORE →This rare Zemaitis Heart 12 String Superior Plus steel string acoustic guitar is built of Mahogany, with Ebony for the fingerboard and bridge and Rosewood for the headplate. It was built during 1986 at the Zemaitis shop in Chatham, Kent, England. During the 1970s, Tony Zemaitis became one of the most sought after luthiers as English musical royalty discovered his new metal-topped electric guitars. Ron Wood, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, and George Harrison all played Zemaitis models at various times.
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MORE →Introduced in 1965, the Martin D12-35 is the 12-string version of the classic Martin D35, visually notable with its three piece Rosewood back. The three-piece design was introduced partly because of simple market forces – larger sized pieces of Rosewood, particularly Brazilian, were becoming scarcer and more expensive. By 1967, Martin was phasing out the use of Brazilian Rosewood, but it appeared on guitars into 1970 until the stocks were completely exhausted.
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MORE →This fine example of the Martin D12-18 was built during 1977, possibly around May. It’s in overall good condition and most importantly, its has just had a neck reset and full setup at The Twelfth Fret Repair Shop. Consequently, it plays very well and should be ready for years of use. The finish is in good shape with just a few small dings and dents, some of which show up in an exaggerated way in the photos due to lighting effects. The Grover strip tuners are an unusual model, and work well.
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MORE →This C. F. Martin Grand J-12 40e Special is a close cousin of the fantastic 2005 Martin J-40 posted recently. The Grand J-12 40e is a 12-string guitar, using a slightly larger version of the J body, with ’40’ level Abalone decorations and a DTAR multi-source pickup system. The Grand J body is somewhat bigger than a the standard J, and has a remarkably full bottom end and midrange presence delivered without hesitation. The top end is as bright and sparkly as you would expect from a Sitka Spruce top.
This instrument has sold
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